The
pact, covering Rainbow's national services, AMC, WeTV, IFC, Fuse and
Sundance Channel, as well as the regional sports services MSG and MSG
Plus, came just hours before the parties' contract was set to expire at
midnight on Dec. 31.

Officials
for DirecTV and Rainbow/MSG confirmed that Thursday night that the
"deal was done," without specifying financial details or the terms of
the renewal.

The agreement, according to sources familiar with the negotiations, does not include Wedding Central, the WE spin-off.